The federal government is expected to decide later this month whether to remove federal protections from some grizzly bear populations. The decision comes after years of legal debate about Endangered Species Act protections for the bears.
A U.S. Representative from Wyoming last week pushed the federal Fish and Wildlife Service about their timeline for making a delisting decision.
Representative Harriet Hageman argued the agency was taking too long and asked deputy director Stephen Guertin for an update.
“When are you going to finish it?” said Hageman.
“We are planning to publish a 12-month finding by the end of this month, Congresswoman,” said Guertin
Montana, Wyoming and Idaho have all petitioned to varying degrees to end federal protections for grizzlies. The states argue bear populations have met recovery goals and are ready for delisting. The federal government is considering requests to delist bears in the Northern Continental Divide and Greater Yellowstone Ecosystems.
The three states have signed an interstate grizzly management plan to manage the bruins moving forward should they be delisted.
Two previous attempts to delist bears in and around Yellowstone have been blocked in court.
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Three hunters in two separate incidents recently came face to face with grizzly bears near Big Sky. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks says there were no injuries, but advises recreationists to be wary. -
Local and tribal governments will now get an advanced notice before state wildlife officials relocate bears into their area, under a new state law that went into effect this week. -
A federal court ruled Wednesday the U.S. Forest Service broke the law when it expanded livestock grazing in grizzly bear habitat north of Yellowstone National Park. -
The Congressional Western Caucus met with federal and state officials at a conference in the Flathead this week. They called for more aggressive natural resource management, more state control and less federal bureaucracy. -
Governor announces workforce development initiative; Choteau man pleads guilty in grizzly bear poaching case; Plane crash at Kalispell airport leaves two people with minor injuries
